30.5.08

There are three major cemeteries in Paris (and a few smaller ones on which I have posted like Picpus, Calvaire, Batignolles, Charonne… – and Passy which I have not yet posted about).

Regarding the three bigger ones, I have already posted about the Montmartre and the Père Lachaise cemeteries – the third one is the Montparnasse Cemetery. Since the shutting down of the “Cimetière des Innocents” in 1786 (see previous post), cemeteries were acatually banned within Paris and created outside the city limits. However, as Paris got bigger, most of these cemeteries became again part of the Paris landscape. This is also the case for the Montparnasse cemetery which was created in 1824 on farmland. There was even a windmill, which is still there – without its wings.

This is now the second biggest graveyard in Paris (after Père Lachaise). There are some 35.000 tombs and when I started to look for the most interesting ones it was not always easy to find them. However, there are a lot famous people buried here, some names perhaps rather known by French people only: Arago, Bartholdi, Baudelaire, Simone de Beauvoir, Samuel Beckett, Alphonse Boudard, Brassaï, Jean Carmet, André Citroën, Jacques Démy, Alfred Drefuys, Marguerite Duras, César Franck, Charles Garnier, Clara Haskil, Eugène Ionesco, Joseph Kessel, Maurice Leblanc, Pierre Louÿs, Man Ray, de Maupassant, Poincaré, Jean Poiré, Prudhon, Saint-Saëns, Sainte Beuve, J-P Sartre, Claude Sautet, Jean Seberg, Delphine Seyrig, Susan Sontag, Cécile Sorel, Soutine, Tupor, Tzara, Zadkine… I found a few:… and paid special attention to a few other ones, like the one of Serge Gainsbourg - famous poet, composer, singer and Gitanes smoker

… and the one of the sculptor César who made his own tomb decoration.

Some tombs are nicely decorated with fresh flowers, others are abandoned.

Here are some other tombs.One tomb intrigued me. No name, except “Jean-Jacques” and a phrase signed Niki (Saint Phalle). I guessed it, but it took me some time to get it confirmed that the sculpture - see also the top picture - is made by Niki’s husband Jean Tinguely and it's called "Birdman". Niki made another one for her long time assistant, Ricardo (Menon).

This one is also quite different; Charles Pigeon (an inventor), in bed with his wife, fully dressed and with a book in his hands. One last thing: I found the Adams Family grave.

Some of thes pictures can be found on my photo-blog.Have a nice weekend! See you Monday!

This post reminds me of the movie Paris Jet'aime.. There was one scene which the lady looking for Oscar Wilde's cemetery together with her husband.. and I just noticed you took some pictures in your Père Lachaise Cemetery's post! =)kisses were being left all over it..I can see =)

Tell you the truth, they don't really look like a graveyard!! Which normally a creepy place,haunted and scary like shown most in films..but still, ask me to go alone especially at sunset...I wouldn't dare to go alone! hehhehe...

Hi Peter! Sorry, this one will be rather short, since Just a speedy visit to say hello! I’ll be out in the next week and have lots of stuff to prepare.The Montparnasse is another of the impressive Paris's cemeteries; and you've found some of the most interesting tombs there; or at least, some of the tombs of the most interesting buried there... including the Adams family... ;))La Gare de L'Est, même s'elle n'a pas «Le Train Bleu», est très jolie (je me demande pourquoi je suis passé au français...).The only questionable issue in the post, however, are the directions you give: Madrid almost in the same direction of Nice... ;)And, of course, the TPV (train petite vitesse) Sud-Express, which isn't mentioned in Austerlitz... ;)Charonne, which I'm not so familiar with, looks nice and the «only one left» post is amazing. Remembered me how easily you identified something similar I pictured in Amsterdam...Have a great week!Gil

I so love your trip through the cemetery....it is very interesting to see what people put up on the graves of loved ones.....the one with the husband with a book in his hand....well, that is interesting and unique I am sure.

The famous French mathematician Evariste Galois (1811 - 1832) is buried here also, but in an unmarked (mass)grave, just like Mozart was. I wonder where the mass grave site is located in the cemetery! He truly deserves a monument!

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My previous blog, PHO, was in operation for a year as from March 2007. It contains similar posts as this one, basically talking about different well known or more secrete sites in Paris. You can reach it by clicking HERE.